Three giants of the business world – Smith International, Shell Oil and Microsoft – are investing in the future of the UH Law Center. Gifts from Smith International and Shell for $40,000 and $25,000, respectively, are earmarked for our highly ranked Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law. Microsoft is committing $40,000 as seed capital for a new initiative: a program on Commercial Law studies administered through the IPIL Institute. I am committed to forging stronger links between the UH Law Center and public and private companies of every size and specialty, and I view these generous and substantial gifts as a tremendous boost to what we aim to achieve at this school.

I think the quality of our graduates is a big part of why companies support our standards of excellence, and it’s always a pleasure to hear about what our alumni are accomplishing. Please join me in congratulating two of our high achievers: Marcia McCarron Eason ’79 of Miller & Martin PLLC, who has been named president elect of the Tennessee Bar Association; and Rick George ’77, president and CEO of Suncor Energy, who was named to represent Canada on the newly formed North American Competitiveness Council.

FYI, my first Dean’s Note column was well received, and please know that I always welcome your feedback.